The Sky May Fall
by Hryre
Summary: Scinan DarkShine felt uneasy when the storm appeared out of nowhere, but the last thing he expected was to be thrown into a struggle to save his world. A world now hanging precariously between life and and oblivion.
1. Storm's Rise

**Storm's Rise**

Fyora was pacing in her study, she often paced these days. Her normally shining lavender hair was in ragged ropes around her face. She looked pale and thin as though she'd been losing sleep and wasn't eating properly. From a chair by the window Jhudora watched her. The dark faerie's eyes following the Queen's movements.

"Why is this happening?" Fyora demanded of the dark faerie. "That power, that darkness, that _evil_, has to be coming from somewhere!"

"You're right," Jhudora replied sinking back in the arm chair. "It is coming from somewhere. But it is no faerie magic so far as I can tell. Our magics, despite they are darkness, still hold threads of the other elements. But this..." Jhudora's voice trailed off and she stood, gazing out the window into the steadily dimming sky. "But this Fyora, is pure, undiluted, darkness. Such a power should not exist, it would be so overbalanced, so overwhelming, that it would kill its vassal instantly.

"Telling me that it shouldn't exist does not help the situation!" Fyora growled. Jhudora turned and fixed the Faerie Queen with eyes that were blank and lost.

"Fyora... there's nothing we can do." A tear ran down the dark Faerie's cheek. "You remember the prophecy don't you?"

Fyora sank into the chair Jhudora had vacated, clutching her face with trembling hands. And recited the words that had burrowed dread deep into her heart.

_"The darkness weeps in last remorse,_

_for all that is gone._

_Life, and love, and light shall fail,_

_In this last stretch of dawn._

_Watch and sorrow for the dying land,_

_For the seas do grow cold._

_The fading stars and silver ghosts,_

_of all that has been told._

_Darkness to light the kindled spark,_

_of ruin and destruction._

_The sky to fall in bitterness_

_awaiting resurrection._

_Now to be bound for eternity,_

_Until crawling death does creep._

_Forever in self created misery,_

_does the heart of darkness weep..."_

Fyora finished the verses and let out a little whimper of grief. Jhudora said nothing, the gold and scarlet light that shone through the glass glinted on her violet hair. The sun was steadily going down in the West. "As I said," The dark faerie murmured, watching the sky grow painted with reds and golds. "There is nothing we can do to stop the inevitable." Her voice trailed off, and Fyora knew what she was thinking.

The Faerie Queen lifted her gaze. All hope had gone from her eyes. "This next dawn, shall be our last."

The green Lupe lay on the railing of his balcony watching the sea glow gold with the last light of the dying sun. It felt warm on his dark evergreen coat. ScinanDarkShine loved living on Mystery Island it was always so warm. He loved being able to see such sunsets as these. Scinan stood and stretched, balancing precariously on the railing.

Then he jumped down off it and strode into his room. It was rather plain, but he liked it that way, just a chair, a bed, and a night table. Scinan shoved his nose under the bed and peered into the shadows underneath.

"Ah, there you are," he murmured, reaching under it and drawing out a blue-white snake like creature. The petpet yawned and from her breath a large freezing mist rose. The bluna opened large eyes and gazed indignantly at Scinan. "Oh don't give me that look" Scinan scolded. "You've been sleeping all day, it's good for you to be up and about anyway Caligo." Scinan draped the bluna over his shoulders and made his way into the upstairs hall.

The door to his brother, EaldorStormLife's room was open a crack. Scinan could hear loud crunching noises from inside. Then a very discernible 'thud' followed by a loud "Ow!" Scinan nosed open the door and peered inside. Ealdor was sitting on his bed, the red Eyrie was rubbing his head furiously.

"Did he hit the ceiling again?" Inquired a light female voice from behind Scinan. The Lupe turned to see a blue Shoyru peering at him from her open door way. She was MaestitiaSunSorrow, and Scinan's only sister.

"Yes," Scinan confirmed, his golden eyes sparking with amusement."

Maestitia rolled her eyes and walked to the thresh hold of Ealdor's room. "Honestly if he keeps bouncing on that bed and hitting the ceiling he's going to give himself brain damage." She said, sounding irritated.

"Too late," replied a new voice. LeohtShadowLight poked his Zafara head through the railing that bordered the stairs.

"I heard that," Ealdor said furiously, he stuck his head out the door to glare at Leoht. The blue Zafara merely stuck his tongue out in reply. Maestitia snorted in disgust at the immaturity of her siblings.

"Anyway," Leoht said, "Hry told me to remind you guys that we're having guests over for dinner tonight."

Maestitia slapped her forehead. "Faeries! I forgot!" She cried, "I better go see if Hry needs any help setting up." With that she was down the stairs, her brothers soon followed.

The four pets' owner, ruinstar, was busily preparing the dinner. Hryre had her long red streaked brown hair pulled back in a uni tail. The sleeves of her shirt were rolled up and there were specks of flour all over her. At her pets' entrance she looked up and smiled.

"Good you guys are here, will you go set the table?" Maestitia and Leoht took a folded table cloth from a cabinet, Ealdor and Scinan followed with the dishes. As they set up the table for ten, the pets chatted about their dinner guests.

"What do you think they'll be like?" Maestitia asked. "I know she has a Shoyru, I wonder if he likes to read?"

"Heh, I just hope they're not goody-two-shoe pets." Leoht replied, his eyes sparking with mischief. At that moment Hryre poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Now, Leo I order you to be nice. No pranks, do you hear?" She said sternly.

"Aw Hry, you take all the fun out of life." The Zafara complained.

"That's as may be, but I want your word that you'll behave tonight." The girl insisted.

"Fine, fine whatever Hryre." When his owner glared at him the Zafara razed his paws defensively. "I swear, I swear!" Hryre frowned, not trusting Leoht's words, but it would have to do for now.

Something pricked Scinan's ears. He turned and gazed out the window, confused. As he watched, the reddened light that streamed through the window began to dim. As the dim darkness fell across him, he felt unimaginably cold. So cold that he thought his very blood would have frozen in his veins. The moment passed and Scinan shivered.

Maestitia noticed. "Sci, what's the matter?"

"I – I," Scinan cast about for an answer. "I think it's going to rain..."

"What?" Maestitia gazed out the window to see charcoal black clouds gathering on the horizon. "I think you're right, looks like a bad storm is coming."

"Well," Leoht said. Twirling a fork in his fingers. "It is the stormy season here."

"I don't like it," Maestitia said quietly. "That storm is coming on awfully fast." Her eyes narrowed and she squinted through the glass.

"My advice," Ealdor said as he took the fork from Leoht and placed it in its proper spot. "Don't tell Hry anything is happening. She's already stressed out enough making this dinner, the idea that something spooky is happening will probably make her snap." The others nodded in agreement. Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Ack!" Came Hryre voice from the kitchen. "Will you guys get the guests into the Lounge please?" She called, "Leo, come help me with this!" The Zafara scampered away as his siblings went to open the door.

Standing on the doorstep was a girl and four pets, a red Lupe, a striped Pteri, a yellow Lupe, and a red Shoyru. The girl smiled, she was tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes. One of her hands was clamped onto the baseball hat that the chilled wind that had come from no where threatened to blow away. She was aisa1123, or just Aisa. Ealdor led her and her pets to the Lounge while frantic bickering between Leoht and Hryre could be heard from the kitchen.

Aisa put a hand over her mouth to hide a grin. "Not a cooker is she?"

Ealdor chuckled. "She tries, give her credit for that." He turned to Aisa. "I'm EaldorStormLife, this is MaestitiaSunSorrow and ScinanDarkShine."

"And our other brother who's trying to help Hry avert disaster is LeohtShadowLight." Maestitia said.

Aisa nodded. "Please to meet you, this is Fiyrelement." The red Shoyru smiled at Maestitia, who blushed. "DemonInuyashaX" The red Lupe twitched his ears. "Kanshlamasutwo" The striped Pteri waved a wing in the air. "And ArizonaSpirit." The yellow Lupe inclined her head.

"Whew," Hryre came into the room. "Sorry for the delay, but dinner's ready now."

Aisa shot Ealdor a glance, wicked laughter in her eyes. The Eyrie grinned and led the way into the dining room.


	2. Darkness Impending

**Darkness Impending**

Dinner was a pleasant affair for the most part. Ealdor ended up chatting with DemonInuyashaX, who liked to be called Inu, about Battle Dome tactics. Fiyrelement, or Fiyre as he preferred, and Maestitia got on right away and were discussing a large variety of things. Leoht and Kanshashimasutwo, called K2 to prevent tongue ties, were relaying numerous pranks they had both pulled. While Aisa and Hryre talked about other things.

Scinan watched them with only half of his attention. The rest of his mind was focused on the storm that was growing around them. "Whats on your mind?" Asked a light, musical voice.

Scinan jumped and turned his head to see that ArizonaSpirit, who was seated next to him, was watching him intently. "As you're obviously not paying any attention to the dinner conversation." She commented, her light blue eyes glinting, "what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Scinan said gruffly, unwilling to talk to her.

"Well it obviously is something." She retorted, "you could have just said, 'go away Spirit, I don't want to talk about it'."

Scinan was slightly taken aback. "That's not what I meant!" He said, hurriedly. Spirit only raised an eyebrow at him, and he dropped his gaze. "It's just that I really don't know how to describe it."

Spirit rested her chin on her paws. "Well you must have some idea how you want to say it. You probably just think I won't understand, or I'll think it's stupid, try me Scinan."

"I can feel the storm growing, a very not natural storm." He looked at her with eyes slightly lost. "It feels like something to me, something I should know, but I just can't remember." He shivered as he remembered the cold feeling. "I don't like it, it feels so ominous."

Spirit opened her mouth to reply but just than the lights flickered and died. "Ack!" Cried Hryre's disembodied voice. "Just a sec I'll find some candles." Soon everyone retired to the Lounge and Hryre lit a fire on the hearth.

They sat on various articles of furniture and spots of floor listening to the storm. "This is really strange." Hryre said she nibbled a thumbnail, her forehead creased in worry. "I don't think you guys should go back to the ferry in this storm, let alone fly." She turned to Aisa. "But I've got plenty of couches and you could stay in the guest room. Inu could room with Eal, Fiyre with Maest, K2 with Leo, and Spirit with Sci."

Aisa smiled in gratitude. "That would be great Hry. Are you sure it's not too much bother?"

Hryre shook her head. "None at all. Come on I'll get you all set up."

Scinan stood nervously in his doorway holding a candle as Spirit looked around it. "It's not much." He mumbled. "Kinda plain."

Spirit smiled. "It simple, I like simple." She took the candle as Scinan unrolled a sleeping bag. She placed the light source on his bedside table.

"You take the bed." Scinan said, gesturing at the Tyrannian Fur Bed. Spirit nodded and sat on the smooth bedspread. She then noticed something. Sitting on a shelf was a roughly carved wood flute. Spirit slid off the bed and went to examine it.

"This is really nice." The yellow Lupe commented, her paws itched to pick it up and play it.

"Oh that?" Scinan said casting a glance at the instrument. "I found that washed up on the beach a couple months ago. Do you play?"

Spirit nodded. "I was taught when I was really young. I've been a master player since I was just a pup."

"Well go on, let's hear it." Spirit looked back at Scinan. He had sat up in the sleeping bag and was looking at her expectantly. Spirit lifted the flute from the shelf. It felt so natural in her hands and she smiled, running her paws over the wave beaten wood. A shiver ran down Spirit's spine she raised the instrument to her lips and began to play.

The resulting sound was round and rich, just the way she loved it. As her paws darted around the shaft of the flute playing a song that was an old childhood verse, Spirit felt herself fall into the music. The melody redoubled in beauty as Spirit belted her heart and soul into the song. The yellow Lupe was no longer in Scinan's room, no longer on Mystery Island, no longer in Neopia. She was the music, the flute on her lips was her voice. Her voice that could be harsh or soft, loud or quiet. Spirit danced within the song, spinning and whirling until, quite abruptly, the song ended.

Spirit lowered the flute, feeling almost dazed. Scinan stared open mouthed as she put it back on the shelf. Spirit coughed. "It's a very well made instrument, though it doesn't look it." Scinan scrambled out of his sleeping bag and over the shelf. The green Lupe lifted the flute carefully in his paws.

"I've played this thing before." He breathed, "I could never have gotten such a sound from a flute." He looked up at Spirit. "Not even from the highest quality one money could buy. Where did you learn to play Spirit?"

Spirit shrugged. "I've always been able to play, it's a talent. Anyway I'm sure your playing isn't horrible."

Scinan laughed. "Oh yes it is, that's why I haven't touched this thing for a long time." He held out the flute to Spirit. "Will you play again?"

Spirit smiled. "Sure," she took the flute. Fingering it lovingly, she asked. "What would you like me to play?"

Scinan thought for a moment. "Then he looked to the doors onto his balcony. "I dunno if this would make any sense, but..." his voice trailed off.

"What?" Spirit asked. "Tell me Sci, I won't think it's silly." She sounded as if she meant it.

Scinan drew in a deep breath. "Can you play this storm?" The words sounded so foolish as he said them that the Lupe regretted his request instantly. He expected Spirit to laugh and say that there was no way anyone could play a storm. But she didn't.

"Hmm," Spirit looked at the doors to the balcony, which were swaying back and forth as the wind tried to blow them open. "It would be easier to do if we were on the balcony."

"But then we wouldn't be able to hear the music." Scinan protested.

Spirit flashed a knowing smile. "Oh you'll hear, I guarantee it." Scinan opened the doors and instantly torrents of rain flooded in to soak the two Neopets. Spirit walked out onto the balcony and stood in the center. Rain and wind whipped her yellow fur darkened by the shadows of the storm. She raised the flute to her lips and began to play/

At first Scinan couldn't hear the song. But then it rose in such volume that seemed impossible for the little wooden instrument. But he heard the notes caught in the wind whirling around him. Cold seeped into Scinan, he gasped and fell to his knees. The music was all he heard nothing but the music of the storm. The rain lashed his hide, feeling like needles against his skin. Scinan stumbled sideways and fell over. Still Spirit played on, rising onto her hind legs. Lightning flashed behind her lighting up her light blue eyes so that they almost seemed to glow.

The storm bent inward, concentrating its full fury on Mystery Island. Scinan almost cried out in pain. There was something inside him. Something was tearing its way out of the darkest recesses of his heart. Suddenly Spirit cried out and dropped the flute. It fell to the ground and broke in half. The yellow Lupe sat down hard as everything snapped from roiling chaos to complete calm.

"Wh- what the?" She gasped. "Sci, what happened?" There was no answer. Spirit looked around. Scinan was lying a little ways away. His whole body was trembling. "Sci, what's wrong?" Spirit knelt down by the green lupe. "Sci?"

"It's mine..." Scinan choked. "It's my storm." He scrunched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. The thing was still fighting violently to get out from inside him. He could feel it writhing inside his chest.

Spirit was confused. "What do you mean it's 'your' storm?"

Scinan jerked. "It's coming, I – I can't stop it." Scinan opened eyes that were streaming with tears. He had no idea what was going on, but the thing inside him, he couldn't let it escape, he couldn't let it out. "The sun's coming up Spirit."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Spirit inquired, now even more confused than before.

Scinan gazed at her in sorrow. "The darkness weeps in last remorse, for all that is gone. For life, and love, and light shall cease, in this last stretch of dawn." He recited. "This is the last," Suddenly his body relaxed and Scinan lay still. "Spirit?" he murmured.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," Power burst forth, dark power, the darkness within, exploded out of Scinan's body. In a great wave of destruction it engulfed the world. Throwing the first kindling rays of the sun into total eclipse.


	3. Desolation

**Desolation**

Spirit awoke with her whole body aching. She sat up and a fine gray ash fell from her fur. The yellow Lupe frowned in confusion then a voice surfaced in her mind, "_This is the last..._" Spirit looked desperately around and her heart froze in cold terror.

Mystery Island was dead. That was the only way to describe it. The once towering tropical trees were bent over and gnarled as though in pain. Their great leafy boughs now limp and bare. The ground had once been soft, but now hard, parched, and cracked. Spirit turned her head to look at the shore. The sea was gone, nothing but a glittering expanse of salt remained stretching on into the horizon. Spirit shuddered in revulsion, but where were the others?

The yellow Lupe turned to find that Hryre's home was now a ruin, as though it had been burned. "Aisa!" she cried running into the charred wreckage. "Inu, Fiyre, K2! Where are you?" There was no answer. Spirit's voice sounded strange and hollow to her. The color of her fur, she noticed, seemed gritty and dull. The yellow Lupe sat down. Tears trickled down her face to drip to the deadened land. A vile wind stirred her fur as she raised her gaze to the sky. There were jagged rips in the vast blue expanse, the only thing in this whole nightmare that was nearly unchanged.

Spirit hunched over, sobs shook her entire body. She couldn't feel anything, there was no cold or warm, no feeling in this place at all. Where, in all that was good and true, was she? A faint scent, aside from ash, reached Spirit's nose. She raised her head, attempting to decipher what it belonged to. The smell was faint, not as though it was far away, but more like it was old and whithered. Finally, she recognized it. It was Scinan.

Spirit walked through the charred remains of Hryre's house until she found him. The green lupe was sitting near a burnt wall. "Sci?" Spirit ventured timidly, he seemed almost completely lost.

Scinan jumped and looked around. "Sp- Spirit," he gasped, "you're alive?" Spirit nodded.

"Are you all right?" She asked quietly, moving closer. He nodded and began shaking tears streaming down his cheeks. Spirit reached out and put a paw on his shoulder. "Come on Sci, let's go look for the others."

"There are no others," Scinan murmured, "they're all gone Spirit."

"We don't know that Sci! They could have survived just like we did!" Spirit said defiantly, not willing to believe that they were the last alive on all of Neopia.

"We weren't supposed to survive Spirit." Scinan replied, his voice had taken a dark undertone that almost scared Spirit. She drew away from him.

"Wh – what do you mean?" She stammered.

Scinan looked at her, tears in his eyes, even his eyes were darkened. "Spirit, we aren't supposed to be here right now. We were supposed to get destroyed with everything else, this is the proof that there is no hope left." He gestured at his feet. A pile of warped shards of metal lay there, their sparkling sheen dulled.

"What is that?" Spirit asked, moving closer to it.

"It's..." Scinan swallowed, "it's my brother's sword."

Spirit gasped. "Ealdor's Heartblade?"

Scinan nodded. "Even the powerful heart of my brother was broken by this nightmare. We alone can have no chance."

"I don't believe you!" Spirit snarled, bearing her teeth at Scinan. "You can sit here and mope Sci, but I'm not going to accept this!"

Scinan got to his feet, that same lost look in his eyes. "Sometimes it is inevitable that one will be defeated."

"ScinanDarkShine," Spirit whimpered, "what's happened to you?"

Scinan just gazed at her with that same eerie, lost look. "What would you ever know about me ArizonaSpirit? You only met me twelve hours before now. You don't know me, you can't know the monster that I really am."

"What I know is that you care enough about your family not to give up on them." Spirit replied. "You aren't a monster Sci, I know that much as well." She turned her back on him, "I'm going to search the Island for survivors, you can come along if you want." She trotted away, trailing a cloud of dust.

Scinan watched her go. "I am a monster Spirit. By the end of this you will know it, and hate me for it." His ears dropped in sorrow. Eyes glazed with tears, the Lupe summoned the strength to follow after Spirit.

They searched everywhere, to no avail of any life. When the two Lupes got to the ruined training school Spirit put out a paw to stop Scinan. "Hey Sci, what's that over there?" She pointed over to the crumbling stone well that had been used for the school's training. There were and amount of shining crystal objects.

"I dunno, let's go check it out." The green lupe angled toward the well. The objects turned out to be a number of small crystal stones. They were oval shaped and seemed to have a light blue tint to them.

"I didn't think that things of such beauty still existed here." Spirit marveled, running her paws over the stones' smooth edges. "I wonder what they are?"

"Who knows?" Scinan said, rolling one stone from paw to paw. "In this place, nothing is what it seems anymore." He held up the stone. "For all we know, these could be dangerous."

"How could anything so pretty be dangerous?" Spirit asked.

Scinan didn't reply, he stared into the depths of the stone he held. "I... think I know what these were." He murmured.

"What were they?" Spirit asked eagerly.

"Did you ever come here before?" Scinan asked, "before this happened I mean."

"Once or twice," Spirit replied, "sometimes I came with Aisa when Inu came here to train, why?"

"Did you ever speak to the Techo Master?"

Spirit nodded. "I did a lot, a very wise Neopet isn't he?" She said brightly, then her face fell. "I wish someone like him were here right now. So they could advise us on what to do."

"In a way," Scinan said quietly, "the Master is here."

Spirit looked at him sharply. "What do you mean, how could he be here?"

"Well, his physical presence isn't here, but his wisdom his." When Spirit looked confused, Scinan raised the stone then gripped it tightly in his paws. _ I guess, I'm really beginning to understand this nightmare._ he thought to himself and concentrated on the stone with all his might.

Light ignited in the crystal and blossomed with radiating beauty. Spirit gasped in awe as the crystal flashed and projected words onto the ground. _'Never test the depth of water with both feet.'_ The words died away and Scinan lowered the stone.

"See?" he said quietly, "The Master's words of wisdom still linger here for us."

Spirit nodded. "And we have to remember them Sci. We can't just give up. Maybe you believe we weren't supposed to survive. But I believe that we're here for a reason, and we must figure out what that reason is at all costs."

Scinan flashed Spirit a smile, taking the lupe back. "You're right, we owe it to everyone, not just our families but everyone on Neopia, we owe to them not to give up."

Spirit punched the air with a paw. "Now you're talking!"

"So where to now?" Scinan asked, "we've searched the entire Island, where do we go now?"

"We should head for the mainland." Spirit said, "we might even be able to find clues there as to what the blazes has happened." She looked up at Scinan, "because I don't remember anything past going into your room."

Scinan shook his head. "Neither do I, I don't even remember what was making m so melancholy a while ago." Spirit looked at him and, indeed, the saddened, lost look in his eyes was gone. But they still seemed darkened, by something, a memory or a power within that had nearly destroyed him in its eagerness to be free.

It was very windy out on the salt flats left by the ocean. The hardened salt broke and cracked under their paws and stung the two Lupes' eyes. Before long both of them were limping from the deep gouges and cuts on their paws from the broken shards of salt. The landscape wasn't flat either. It was chock full of hills and gorges that the two pets had to cross. It was an endless journey, a hopeless journey. Maybe the two Neopets had thought that this time it would be like all the fairy tales, that the heroes of the story would manage to prevail even though everything was at its bleakest. But this wasn't a fairytale, this was a war with the world that they had once known and loved, and they were losing.

Spirit's legs wobbled and she collapsed, coughing. Scinan stopped and nudged her with his nose. "Come on Spirit, we can't give up. Get up, you can do it."

"No, I can't get up Sci." She shivered, then coughed again. "I made a huge mistake thinking that I would be strong enough to do something like this. I'm the gentlest in the family. I'm not hardened by fighting, or have a quick wit or anything. I'm just normal, I don't have the spirit to do something like this." She laughed slightly as tears started in her eyes. "I didn't even listen to you Sci when you said we needed pieces of wisdom. Remember what the Techo Master always said? 'Against impossible odds, you'll lose.' We should have remembered Sci, we should have been smart enough to realize that normal pets like us can't be heroes."

Scinan lay down next to her, tucking his paws underneath him. "And you are forgetting another thing Spirit." He replied, "that this isn't Neopia anymore. Thing are different now. This time we don't have a choice whether or not to become the heroes of this story." He laid his chin on her shoulder. "We have no choice but to fight the impossible odds this time. Lying here and whithering away, is not an option that we can accept." He stood, and turned his face south-western where he could just discern a dark shape on the horizon. "We're all that's left Spirit, that's why we have to keep pushing forward this time."

Scinan, nosed underneath Spirit's chest and heaved her body up over his shoulders, lifting her off the ground. "This time, we can't give up." He murmured, "we have to keep fighting for those heroes and friends and families who can't be here to do the job for us this time. For them, we have to keep going onward." And Scinan walked, steadily, mechanically, one foot after another, steadily moving onward.


	4. With All Your Heart

**With All Your Heart**

_We have to keep pushing forward this time..._ "Yes!" Spirit cried out, jerking awake. "Yes we will keep pushing on!" The yellow lupe blinked, she was lying on the scratchy sand of another beach. The sand was made from black shale rocks, the black sands of Krawk Island.

Spirit tried to get up but found that there was a dead weight across one set of her legs. She looked down to find that it was Scinan, completely unconscious, where he had collapsed after getting off the salt field. Carefully, Spirit withdrew her legs from underneath his body not wanting to wake the green lupe. She walked around him to looked at his face, wincing slightly from the cuts on her sore paws.

But looking at him front ways made Spirit instantly forget her own discomfort. Scinan's paws were dark to the ankle with dried blood. Deep cuts and gashes crisscrossed his his pads, cuts that were far worse than her meager injuries. Spirit sat down, crying helplessly. How would she ever manage to treat his paws in this place? There was nothing on Krawk Island that would help Scinan.

"Pull yourself together ArizonaSpirit!" Spirit snapped at herself. "Sniveling isn't going to help Sci." He wiped the tears from her eyes and just sat, thinking, staring at Scinan. He was always saying that the world was different now and that it didn't work the same way as it did before. Maybe, there was a chance that there was something here on Krawk Island that could help her.

Spirit thought, pondering desperately on what to do. The only thing she really didn't know about that was here. The one thing that was a complete mystery, was the Mysterious Cave. _Maybe, _she thought hopelessly, _that mysterious fungus has healing properties, maybe it will still be there._ Still unwilling to leave Scinan, but wanting to figure out how to cure him none the less, Spirit trotted off, looking fearfully over her shoulder at Scinan.

The small stream that wound its way out of the Mysterious Cave was completely dried up. The fungus that grew on the walls there had lost its luminescent quality and was all shriveled up. But the fact that it was still there gave Spirit hope. She reached out and plucked the crinkly object from the wall. As soon as she touched it, Spirit's paws began to smart and burn. But then the pain faded and Spirit glanced at her paws and gasped. The small scrapes on her pads were completely gone, not even scars remained in their places.

Spirit's heart overflowed with joy. Ecstatically she picked as much of the fungus as she could and hurried back to Scinan. He still had not moved from where he had lain when she had left. His breathing was soft and his heartbeat slow. Spirit's happiness evaporated into worry as she treated the scratches on Scinan's paws. She then proceeded to scrub the dried blood from his fur. What startled her the most was that after the blood was removed, the fur underneath it was as black as shadow.

Still worried, Spirit dragged Scinan up the beach to a sheltered place, then she left to see if she could fine more things that would help her. Spirit searched the Neapian's houses first, even though she knew it was wrong to steal, this wasn't the world she'd known anymore, and she needed to find something that would help Scinan.

Spirit also found it odd that she no longer seemed to need to sleep, eat, or drink. The sun was gone from the sky so she had no way, or idea on how to keep track of time anymore. This world truly was empty of everything it had been before, and Spirit wondered absently if it was even possible to die anymore. She could feel pain, but even that was starting to ebb away.

Spirit found herself straining to remember things. Fiyre's pranks, Aisa's voice, Inu's battles. Everything was ebbing away, she didn't want it to happen but there was no way she could stop it. She had to let everything go, this world was different than the last. She had to release the old world in order to survive in the new one. Slowly everything faded into shadow, except the one firm ideal that she had to fight this world for them. For the ones that she couldn't even remember anymore. No matter what it took she would fight for them.

Spirit paused by the Swashbuckling Academy. She didn't know why she felt slightly drawn to the place but, her path veered to the ruined building. She went into the large great hall and found round black stones scattered everywhere. She smiled slightly. "The Capitan's sayings." She murmured.

The Lupe bent to pick one up. She held it tightly in her paws, concentrating on the stone with everything she had within her. "DON'T TRUST THAT SCURVY TECHO ON MYSTERY ISLAND!" The blasting roar of the old pirate Eyrie exploded out of the stone almost knocking Spirit backward. She dropped the stone with a cry and rubbed her ears. "Jeez! Now I know why Inu's deaf to anything Aisa says."

Something glittering in a corner caught Spirit's eye. She frowned and went over to it. It was one of the Techo Master's pieces of wisdom. She picked it up, wondering what it was doing there. When she squeezed it, the shining words that were projected in the scorched ash of the Academy floor read, _'wherever you go, go with all your heart.'_ Such a great piece of wisdom Spirit had never known. She pressed the stone against her chest, trying to draw some sort of comfort or answer from it. "I will Master," she whispered, "I will keep moving onward, with all my heart." She raised her gaze to the torn up sky. "No matter where my path leads me, no matter how ominous or hopeless it may be, I will go with all my heart. I will not fear what awaits me at the path's end."

Spirit turned and marched out from beneath the twisted beams, and sagging fallen in roof of the Academy. Something pricked the Lupe's ears, she turned her head back toward the beach. Where she had come, where Scinan still lay. Voices, there were voices coming from behind the bank that sheltered Scinan's body. There were people, someone was there. Spirit's heart rose, then dropped like a stone. If this world was so horribly mutated, what would these people be like?

With the wisdom stone in her mouth, Spirit bolted back toward Scinan, and toward the voices that flitted on the wind. The Lupe skidded to a stop on the bank and dropped the stone in shock. It fell down and landed near Scinan's head, glittering in what light was left. Standing in a half circle around the unconscious Lupe were six tall beings. They were all wrapped in long gray cloaks. The cloak hems were ragged, and fluttered slightly in the wind. The deep hoods were pulled up to hide their owner's faces in shadow.

Spirit leapt down from the bank, growling. Straddling Scinan's motionless form, she bared her teeth at the strangers. "Who are you?" She snarled.

"Don't you remember?" One of them asked quietly, voice empty of emotion, and hope.

"I don't think I'd soon forget creeps like you!" She snapped back. "What do you want here?"

"We came looking for the dark souled one." Replied another, "the one responsible for this destruction."

"Well you won't find them here!" Spirit replied, "go look somewhere else."

"How astonishing," another murmured, "their powers are so faint. How could such feeble creatures survive in this place?"

"We too are feeble my friend." Another reminded, "so feeble compared to what we once were."

"You," Spirit said, lowering her guard a bit. "You were part of the old Neopia too? I thought you came from this world."

"The same could be said of you." One of the beings said. "Are you not a spawn of this nightmare?"

"Of course not! Do I look like a spawn to you?" Spirit cried angrily.

"This... is not Neopia anymore." Said one of the beings, one that had not spoken before now. "The rules of what is and what isn't have been torn to shreds and thrown to the ground. There are no rules anymore, there is nothing that we may count on anymore, not even each other."

Spirit shook her head. "I don't believe you, I can count on Sci." She cocked her head at them. "It's so strange, saying that this isn't Neopia anymore, that things are different, it's what Scinan keeps saying." She looked hard at them, "who are you?" the lupe inquired again.

Another spoke, unlike the others, this one almost had a regal tone in her voice. But it was just a ghost of an emotion. Just a hint of something that had been there and no longer was. "You do know us, ArizonaSpirit, and you will remember." The being reached up with pale hands and drew back it's hood.

Long gray bangs, held in place by a silver circlet, fell to frame her narrow, pale face. Her eyes were also pale, not just light, but pale, almost faded. But even though she had become as powerless as a gray faerie, there was no mistaking her. It was Fyora, the faerie queen, of Faerieland.


	5. A Choice in Destinies

**A Choice in Destinies**

Fyora stared at Spirit, Spirit stared back at Fyora. "Y – your Majesty?" Spirit asked tentatively. "Is that you?"

Fyora smiled slightly. "Indeed, it is me, what's left of me anyway." She sighed, "it's amazing the six of us survived really. In our continued existence we've lost everything, our powers, or appearances, and even our wings. We are the inequivalent of gray faeries, though technically we aren't actually gray faeries."

"Then who are the others?" Spirit asked.

"The rest of the Faerie Council." Fyora replied.

The faerie on the end stepped forward and slid her hood down. "I am Fuhnah, the faerie who held the position of Fire."

The next stepped forward. "I am Lyana, she who held the position of Earth."

The next, "I am Nereid, the former holder of Water."

And the next. "I am Psellia, I once held the position of Air."

The last stepped forward, the one who had spoken to Spirit about how no one could count upon anyone anymore. She slid her hood down and drew in a deep breath. "And I am Auraria, once the wielder of Light."

Spirit looked at all of them and twitched her ears. "I see that there is no place for Darkness."

"Darkness has no place among the Faerie Council!" Fuhnah spat. "Darkness does not belong with the wielders of the Life Elements!"

"And technically, neither does Light." Lyana commented. "But Auraria did us a great service long ago and won a place in the Council." Auraria flinched and looked at the ground.

Spirit looked around at the Faeries gathered before her. "Tell me truthfully," she said quietly, "are there truly no other survivors? Are we the last? Is there no hope that can be found?"

Fyora bowed her head. "We are the last, the only ones who survived the onslaught of power that destroyed our world."

"What happened?" Spirit asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"Shortly before this happened," Fyora said, "I detected a large amount of darkness welling up somewhere in Neopia. I could not pinpoint its location exactly, but it both fascinated and terrified me. Terrified because the extent of its power was almost limitless, fascinated because it should not have been able to exist."

When Spirit looked confused, the faerie explained, "when a power wells up in such a small area it can only mean that its being carried by a vassal. It's the same way when any pet uses magical abilities, only on a much smaller scale. What intrigued me the most about this power was that is was pure darkness." The faerie shook her head in awe.

"Every one of the magical powers both used and bestowed by the faeries, even darkness, has traces of the other powers in it. It has to, it must have some sort of balance, some sort of counteracting force to keep the power from overwhelming its wielder. This power was different, this power was pure, untainted, darkness."

"What are you talking about Fyora?" Fuhnah snarled. "Darkness itself is a taint to the world of life!" Auraria turned her back to the hot tempered faerie.

Fyora shot Fuhnah a waspish glare, irritated at being interrupted. "Anyway, once the storm started, we were able to discover that it was on Mystery Island. But we were too late to get there in time to stop this devastation."

"The storm?" Spirit asked, she frowned, muddled images surfacing in her memory. "Yes, I remember the storm. Sci and me were there, we were in the eye of the storm when everything went black."

"In the eye?" Nereid inquired, Spirit nodded.

"That would explain how you and the other Lupe survived the flow of dark power more or less unscathed." Psellia put in.

"The other Lupe, Spirit." Auraria murmured. "What's his name?"

"ScinanDarkShine," Spirit turned and went to Scinan, who still had not so much as twitched.

Auraria sucked in her breath. "I was afraid of that." She murmured. "When did he fall? How long has he been like this?"

"I – I don't know, I was unconscious too, when I woke up, he had passed out and he hasn't so much as moved since."

Auraria came forward and lifted one of Scinan's darkened paws. "And when did this happen? Or has he always had these dark shades in his coat?"

"When we walked across the salt it cut our feet. When I woke up, the fur up to his ankle was matted with dried blood. I used the fungus from the Mysterious Cave to heal the scratches, and when I scrubbed the blood off his fur, it was dark underneath."

Auraria let out her breath, the air hissing through her teeth as she clenched them. "That's interesting." She said quietly.

"What does it mean Auraria?" Lyana asked.

"It means that nothing is certain." Auraria got to her feet. "We must take him to the mainland if we want to discover anything."

"What?" Spirit demanded, half panicking. "Why do you need to take him? I won't let you!"

"Spirit," Fyora said gently, "if you don't let us take him, he will never wake up."

Spirit quailed slightly. "Wh – what are you going to do with him?"

Fyora knelt and lifted Scinan's body from the ground. "The pet, ScinanDarkShine has had very close encounters with powerful forces of darkness in the past. He was too young to remember them now, but they have weakened him against darkness. When the darkness was unleashed, it wounded him in the spirit. He is feeling the effects of that wound now. If we don't find something that will help, he may very well just fade out of existence."

"No!" Spirit cried, "I can't let that happen! Take him if that will help, but please take me too. If we're the last, I can't let him wake up alone!"

"No," Fyora said, sounding understanding but her eyes hid an irritated look, "I suppose not. Auraria take her, only we can traverse the Sky Path." With that, the faerie queen lifted into the air, followed quickly by the other members of the Faerie Council.

"Sky Path?" Auraria inquired.

Auraria came and lifted the Lupe in her arms. "A hidden pathway that runs all around Neopia. Only the faeries have known about it before now, we were very lucky to find it still intact as we no longer have the use of our wings." She stepped forward and then and invisible force pulled her into the air and she just floated along after the other faeries.

After a good while of floating Spirit asked. "Auraria?"

"Hm?"

"What would you do if you met the one who had housed the darkness in their bodies?"

"I would thank him a thousand times over." The faerie replied instantly.

"What!" Spirit was horrified.

"Spirit, do you think this is the destruction of Neopia? No, no far from it. If Neopia had been totally destroyed there would be nothing here, nothing but an empty void. An empty hole in space devoid of mass and matter. That is not what happened, Neopia has been thrown into a state of limbo. Neither dead or alive, it is because of this that it is possible for things to return to the way they were. Do you know why Neopia wasn't destroyed?" Spirit shook her head, "it was because the vassal fought his powers' need to be released, probably at the cost of his own life. Instead of releasing the full force he had stored withing him, only a fraction of it got away."

"A real hero huh?" Spirit murmured, thinking of the vassal of darkness. "Did he choose to house that power?"

Auraria shook her head. "No, he was born with it." The faerie gazed ahead at her fellows. "The Council is confused and disturbed by the events of late."

"Why?" Spirit, marveled at how many questions she could ask within a minute.

"Because this wasn't supposed to happen." Auraria replied, "everything was supposed to get destroyed. It was supposed to be the vassal's destiny to be the one who wrought the end of this world. The vassal was not supposed to fight his fate."

"How do you know?" Spirit asked, her mind whirling with the intensity of all this information.

Auraria was silent for a moment. "Spirit, do you know why Baelia was made into a gray faerie?" Spirit shook her head. "It was because she foretold a prophecy, a prophecy that angered Jenumarra so much that she took her revenge by taking Baelia's wings."

"A prophecy? What was it?"

Auraria drew in a deep breath and recited,

_"The darkness weeps in last remorse,_

_for all that is gone._

_Life, and love, and light shall fail,_

_In this last stretch of dawn._

_Watch and sorrow for the dying land,_

_For the seas do grow cold._

_The fading stars and silver ghosts,_

_of all that has been told._

_Darkness to light the kindled spark,_

_of ruin and destruction._

_The sky to fall in bitterness_

_awaiting resurrection._

_Now to be bound for eternity,_

_Until crawling death does creep._

_Forever in self created misery,_

_does the heart of darkness weep..."_

"I don't understand the last part." Spirit muttered. "Why would the darkness weep for something it meant to destroy?"

"Only if it did not mean to destroy." Auraria replied. "Nothing can help what it came into existence as. Whether it be faerie, Neopet, human, or element. Supposedly every living thing is born with their path set and their destiny in line. Something that fought its destiny, that has never happened before. That's why the others are nervous. They're afraid that their grasp on what the future has in store is slipping."

"Maybe not knowing every step you're going to take in life is a good thing." Spirit said quietly, "maybe you're wrong and this is they way it was meant to be."

Auraria's lips twitched in a smile. "Maybe, but maybe we'll never know. Hold on tight, we're landing now."

The six faerie's touched down in front of a huge crevasse. Spirit jumped out of Auraria's arms and stared. "Wh – where was this?"

"This used to be the Haunted Woods." Lyana replied.

"Fyora, here's what we're looking for." Fuhnah held up a small glittery object. It's metal was tarnished and the reflective face was faded.

"Is that what I think it is?" Spirit asked in wonderment mixed with apprehension.

"Yes," Fyora said, striding forward to take the object. "It's one of Vira's mirrors."


	6. Reclaimed Memories

**Reclaimed Memories**

_It was raining. Icy sheets of water came down in torrents. Lightning was flashing, the sea was roaring around them, great waves threatening to pick the small group up and hurl them into the darkness beyond their depths. It was cold, he was afraid. _

_The faeries were shouting, trying to keep their positions. Trying to keep the world from preventing their doings. There was someone holding him, the gray cloak wrapped around her shoulders whipped this way and that sending lines of searing water everywhere. Her bright violet eyes were feverish with anger as her soaked lavender colored hair was blown about her face in gnarled ropes. _

_She was yelling at another who looked just as frightened as he felt. The frightened faerie sat down wrapping her arms around herself. Her long waste length hair was white, the dress she wore was in rags, and her eyes were pale and empty. The one who held him raised him by the scruff of his neck and threw him at the faerie._

_He whimpered as he collided with the stone and flopped against her side. She made an indistinct sound of anguish, putting her face in her hands. The other faerie threw something else that glinted in the lighting flashes. It fell, a silver dagger, and buried itself to the hilt in the stone. Crying out for his mother, the tiny lupe cub scrabbled at the gray faerie's lap. He screamed for someone, anyone, to help him. He didn't understand, he couldn't understand what was happening. Why Fyora and her Faerie Council had come and kidnapped him from his home. Why she was so angry with the gray faerie. Why...?_

_Suddenly, the waters calmed, the lighting and the rain ceased. The eye was passing over them. "Do it!" Fyora snarled at the gray faerie, "or the rest of your existence will be as miserable as I can possibly make it!" She turned and walked a few feet away and shouted. "Begin!"_

_The other four faeries raised the arms and cried. _

_"Fire, earth, water, and air,_

_Summon the power that you wield._

_To create a binding from elements bare,_

_power that nothing will yield."_

_Their voices died away as they began to speak in turn. A faerie with long red hair raised her voice to the sky._

_"Fire will lend its heat,_

_Through passion and hate,_

_One that will not settle for defeat_

_Will be bound as of late."_

_The faerie next to her spoke, blond hair and light blue clothes._

_"Air will bring long lasting life_

_A misery and a gift._

_So long as the chains linger in strife,_

_Never shall the binding lift."_

_Another spoke, fawn brown hair and a gown of deep green satin._

_"Strongest bonds shall be granted by earth,_

_Unbreakable even to the strongest heart._

_The silver to at last prove its worth,_

_And bring forth its terrible art._

_The last spoke, who wore no cloth, but shells, and had a fish tail for legs._

_"Water grants its secrecy_

_To the chains of imprisonment._

_Unseen shall they forever be_

_Unless their captive be of defiant temperament."_

_One by one beams of light came from the four faeries. Red, light blue, green, and navy. The great beams arched and met above the lupe and the gray faerie. The tiny lupe cub pressed his face against her dress, crying in terror._

_"I'm sorry!" He kept shouting, "I'm sorry for whatever I did! I didn't mean to, I swear I didn't mean to! I promise I won't do it again, just let me go home!" _

_"I'm sorry," the gray faerie said quietly, "you're like me. You have no home to go to anymore." She raised her head to look at the glowering Fyora, and reached out to pick up the dagger. The faerie took a deep breath and recited her verse._

_"Light shall be the traitor,_

_The one shall destroy its kin._

_Disgraced forever more_

_waiting for the end to begin."_

_The light beams bent inward striking the frightened lupe cub. Red wrapped around his neck, green around his ankles. The two lights solidified into a silver collar and shackles. The powder blue light darted between the shackles to create chains. And another band of silver appeared around his muzzle, chains connecting it to the collar. _

_The gray faerie raised the silver dagger and cut a thin line on the palm of her left hand. Blood leaked out and dripped onto the collar. With a flash it crystallized into a yellow stone. Silver oozed in molten droplets from beneath the glittering gem. They twined and linked together to become another chain. Then a link plunged into the Lupe's chest, sinking deep into his heart._

_The cub threw his head back, trying to scream in pain, but all the silver muzzle would allow was a muffled moan. The gray faerie turned away from the sight, shivering. Already her long white hair was beginning to have a gold tinge. She got up and walked from away from the Lupe, tears in her eyes. _

_The cub collapsed onto his side. The chains disappeared from view, but they were still bound him, even if they weren't visible. Fyora walked over to him, he opened eyes glazed with pain and choked out. "What ... am I?"_

_Fyora's mouth twisted in a grimace, her eyes flashing with hatred. "You're a monster that should never have been able to exist." She reached down and seized the Lupe by his scruff and threw him into the ocean. He sank out of sight into waters left iron gray by the storm. The storm itself had dissipated, leaving a feeling of utmost calm in its aftermath. Fyora let out a sigh of relief. "At last it's gone, at last we are safe."_

_The storm had been a nasty one, ruinstar knew it as she examined the large branch that had come through the roof of her Mystery Island home. "I knew I never liked palm trees much." She grumbled. Her red Eyrie companion, EaldorStormLife chuckled at the comment._

_"We better go see how much this will cost to fix." As they left the home, a spark of sliver reflected at the corner of her eye. The girl blinked, she turned to look at the shore line and saw nothing. Ealdor flicked one of his scarlet ears. "What is it?"_

_"Funny," she murmured, scratching her head. "I could have sworn there was something there." _Maybe there is something there, but I just can't see it._ She thought. Finally her curiosity gave in and she trekked toward where the bright blue waves met the pale golden sand. _

_What she found there was not what she had expected. A small Lupe cub lay there, half in half out of the water. His fur was sticky and matted with dried sea salt. "Hey!" The girl called, kneeling next to the Lupe, her voice rising in panic. "Hey are you okay!"_

_He stirred and opened his eyes. "Wh – who're you?"_

_Hryre let out her breath in relief. "I'm ruinstar, called Hryre." She pointed at Ealdor, "and this is Ealdor. What's your name?"_

_He looked away from her for a moment, eyes taking on a distant look. "I – don't think that I ever had a name. If I did, I don't remember it." He shuddered, "I don't think I want to remember."_

_"In that case," Hryre said kindly, "may I give you a name?"_

_The Lupe looked at her, almost surprised by her request. "Yes, if you wish."_

_Ealdor grinned. "Hry thinks up good names. She gave me mine. EaldorStormLife, the life of the storm. I'm named for one of her friends that she lost a long time ago. I live well in his memory, after all she's told me about him, I'm honored to share his name."_

_The Lupe looked confused, then turned his gaze to look at the girl called Hryre, who's brow was crinkled in thought. She was silent for a moment then, "Scinan..." she murmured , "yes, ScinanDarkShine. That's what it means you know, Scinan is an ancient word for shine."_

_Ealdor thought about it. "Shining darkness Hry? But the darkness can't shine." _

_Hryre's eyes darkened for a moment, as if remembering something. "Oh I beg to differ."_

_The Lupe cut in, "shine?" he lifted himself from the water and shakily onto his feet. "Somehow I don't think calling me shine fits what I am."_

_"And what are you?" Hryre asked._

_He shook his head. "I dunno, I just know that shine does not fit me."_

_Hryre smiled. "I think it fits you perfectly. Because I bet that right here," she laid a hand over the Lupe's heart, he flinched slightly as though the spot were sore. "I bet right here there's a great heart ready to shine out."_

_"How would you know such a thing when we've only just met?" He demanded moving away from her touch._

_"Believe me," Ealdor said, ruffling his feathers. "She knows."_

_"Some things don't need to be known, they just are." Hryre added. She stood, brushing sand from her knees. "We don't live in a very big house, but if you have no where else to go, you can stay with us if you want." She turned and began walking away with her Eyrie._

_The Lupe stared after Hryre and Ealdor, mouth agape. He thought about the name she had given to him. A name she had just pulled out of the air and already he was becoming attached to it, already integrating it as a part of himself. It was him, he was ScinanDarkShine. It was just a name, but it was his. Scinan ran to catch up with Hryre and Ealdor. _

"I am ScinanDarkShine." Scinan murmured, darkness and confusion swirled in his mind, left spinning by the dream. A dream both terrible and wonderful.

"Did you hear that?" Asked an excited voice. "He said something! He's awake!"

Scinan recognized the voice. "Spirit?" The Lupe lifted his head, and opened his eyes. "Are you there?"

Spirit placed a paw on his shoulder. "I'm here Sci."

Scinan blinked and saw that there were tall grayed figures leaning down around them. Peering at him with curious eyes. "Spirit, who are they?"

Spirit explained everything that had happened since Scinan had fallen unconscious. "You've been out cold since." She finished.

"So what did the faeries do to wake me up?" He asked.

"That's the thing," Spirit said wonderingly, "they didn't do anything. You woke up by yourself."

One of the faeries came forward, Fuhnah, Spirit had said. She was holding a tarnished mirror in her hands. "Tell me something ScinanDarkShine, look into this mirror and tell me what you see." She held it out. Scinan leaned forward, peering into the mirror.

What started back was a creature made of writhing shadow. Only dark fire swirled beyond the glass. Except the eyes, white hot ovals that burned amid the darkened flames.


	7. Darkness Parting

**Darkness Parting**

"I don't see anything, just a shadow." Scinan said. He looked up at the faeries. "That's not a good thing is it?"

Psellia took the mirror from Fuhnah's shaking hands. "No Scinan," she said quietly. "It's not a good thing."

Scinan stood and looked at his legs. The dark shades of fur had extended almost to his shoulder. But it was just a deep green, that's all. Like his fur had been scorched. "Fyora," he said quietly, "what do I have to do, to fix what I have done?"

"I do not know if that is possible Scinan." Fyora said replied, her back to the Lupe.

"What do you mean?" Spirit demanded, "what has Sci done?"

"Have you not discovered it yet ArizonaSpirit?" Asked Lyana. "He has gazed into one of Vira's mirrors. The mirrors that bare the darkest parts of your soul. He saw nothing but darkness and that's what his soul is. Darkness, pure and untainted, darkness unmatched."

Spirit turned slowly to look at Scinan in horror. "Sci? A – are they saying that... that you're the vassal?" Scinan looked away and nodded. Spirit backed away, despite what Auraria had said, he was still dangerous. Still a weapon in himself, he hadn't been able to control his power then, what's to say that he would be able to now?

Scinan, sorrow sinking into his heart, turned back to Fyora. "If there is even a slim hope, just a tiny chance, don't you think it's better than making do with this?" He shouted at her. "If it means my destruction, if it means all our destruction, to repair the damage that has been done, isn't it worth it!" He arched his back shoulder tensing, a growl rumbling in his chest. "Look at me Fyora!" she did and Scinan said in a voice that was deadly soft. "In this place, this nightmare, death has no meaning to me anymore."

Fyora didn't say anything, didn't even twitch. But inside her emotions were roiling chaotically. Despite everything this Lupe was, despite that he was darkness, Fyora found herself placing some slim hope in him that he could be the one to undo what he had done. "Very well," she said finally. "Your decision, shall take us back out over the ocean bed. Let us hurry."

"So where are we going?" Spirit asked Auraria. They were once again on Sky Path and Auraria now carried both Spirit and Scinan.

"We're going to the Elemental Shrine located on the outskirts of Maraqua." The faerie replied. "It shouldn't take long to get there. Ah here we go." The faeries descended from the Path and landed just in front of the Shrine.

Spirit stared up at it in awe. It was a series of pillars, the largest one was in the center, big enough for a whole crowd of people to stand on. Spaced evenly around the center pillar were four smaller columns, these just large enough for one person to stand on, and even then they would have to watch their balance carefully.

"What are we supposed to do with this?" Spirit asked, as the columns were some hundred feet off the ground.

"Fuhnah, Psellia, Lyana, and Nereid must climb up the four smaller pillars that correspond with the elements they once held." Auraria explained, "You Spirit, Scinan, Fyora and I must climb the center one. At the top there should be three engraved circles. You and Fyora stand in one, Scinan in another, and I in the last. From there we must perform the ritual that will hopefully end this nightmare."

Nereid, Lyana, Fuhnah, and Psellia climbed up their separate pillars, using foot holds that had been conveniently carved in the side of the columns. There were also foot holds in the large pillar, providing a way for Scinan, Auraria, Spirit, and Fyora to climb to their separate places. As Auraria had said, there were tree circles carved in the surface of the pillar at the top, spaced evenly around pillar's area. Scinan walked to the ring of darkness, Auraria the ring of light, and Spirit and Fyora stepped into the last circle.

"Well..." Fyora said quietly, "let's begin. You all remember how this is supposed to work right? This particular ritual has cause for you four, Fuhnah, Lyana, Psellia, and Nereid, say one line, and Auraria to say the next, then you four again and so on. You will continue to switch places until the last verse, then the first two lines are recited by Lyana, Nereid, Psellia, and Fuhnah, and the last two by Auraria." She trailed off, and the ritual began.

_"Fire, water, air, and earth,"_ cried the four strong voices of Fuhnah, Nereid, Lyana, and Psellia.

_"A power fueled by their hate," _Auraria murmured.

_"A binding did they birth,"_

_"The chains they did create."_

_"Chains of silver to restrain the heart,"_

_"Chains that no eye can find."_

_"The stone of crystal to do the part,"_

_"To burn, break, and bind."_

_"The stone made by the blood of light,"_

_"A betrayer of its kin."_ Auraria's voice was shaking.

_"It's fear of the darkness' might,"_

_"Made it weaken and give in."_ Tears streamed down Auraria's cheeks. That was not how it had happened. It hadn't been that way all those years ago.

_"Darkness will be forever free,"_ the other faerie's voices were rising in passion.

_"When all the bindings do break."_ Each one of Auraria's words dripped in anguish.

_"To challenge or take up its destiny,"_

_"Will the monster the chains did make."_

_"The sky to fall to oblivion, and all that was shall cease."_ The four faeries recited the two first lines of the last verse.

Auraria raised her tears filled eyes and in a voice soft, sorrow filled whispered. _"Darkness within, darkness unleashed."_

Scinan's eyes widened. "Au – Auraria," he stammered, fear in his voice.

She looked away. "I'm sorry Scinan, but this must be done." Scinan started shaking, a silver sheen appeared around his neck and a silver collar appeared against his throat. Silver shackles appeared around his ankles, linked together with strong silver chain. A band of silver materialized around his muzzle, chains connecting it to the collar. On the collar a yellow gem appeared, a small silver chain snaking out from behind it and sinking through Scinan's skin on the left side of his chest. Buried deep into his heart, as it had been since the binding had been created all those years ago. Scinan froze, the pupils of his eyes shrank to nothing. He arched his back in pain and a muffled scream of agony issued from his muzzled lips.

"F – Fyora," Spirit whimpered, shrinking against the faerie. "what's going on?"

"The darkness must be destroyed Spirit. It's how this all must be."

"De – destroyed? No!" Spirit shrieked, "No, Fyora you can't! It's not his fault!"

Fyora gazed at the Lupe with stone cold eyes. "It is no matter of fault anymore," and she struck Spirit, casting casting her from the circle. The Faerie Queen raised her arms high and recited the final devastating words.

_"By sky's cradled world,_

_The life of darkness will end._

_Reborn the land unfurled,_

_By the darkness' death will mend."_

Scinan threw his head back, his body jerking. He was unable to scream, unable to shed tears unable to do anything to communicate the ultimate suffering his heart was going through. The silver chains that had his death sentence written on them since he was born, burned against his skin. Burned his green fur to black. The Lupe collapsed, finally realizing that he had been on the line of death all his life. That it had only been a matter of time before Fyora decided that it wasn't safe to allow him to continue to exist.

Psellia's eyes widened. "It almost looks like he's actually suffering." She murmured shakily.

"H - he," Lyana whimpered, unable to shrink away from the writhing Lupe without falling off her pillar. "His is feeling pain!" She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. "He's in complete agony!"

The pain would not go away. The chains would not go away. Scinan couldn't stop screaming. The muzzle around him mouth cracked and shattered, leaving chains dangling down his shoulders. His voice was released into the cracked heavens, ultimate misery in every breath. Spirit was shaking, he was only feet from her, his eyes, his voice, they were no longer ScinanDarkShine.

Scinan reared back, balanced on his hind legs as the chains that held him burned visibly white hot and screamed one final scream. A jet of pitch black light exploded out of his mouth. Tendrils of dark fire flicked and twisted around him. Scinan came to all fours, his eyes dark with a kind of vicious joy. Spirit was afraid.

"Stupid faerie fools." Scinan roared in a voice that was not his own. "To think that your measly little chains could restrain the might of darkness. All your chains did was create me, create the monster that destroyed your world." He, it, laughed. "Rather infuriating isn't it Fyora? To know that if you had simply let this poor Lupe live a normal life, this wouldn't have happened. But no, you and your Faerie Council, your all knowing psychic abilities, felt that you should not to let history run its course and tried to restrain the darkness. But you know, I must thank you, if not for your meddling, I would not be here to laugh in your face this day." It tried to walk toward Fyora, but was stopped by some sort of barrier. The dark creature snorted in annoyance.

"The vassal is dead isn't he?" Fyora asked it.

"He was dead the moment you sank your cursed chains into his heart. It was only a matter of time before he realized it. Now this body of his will become nothing but a framework of darkness. He will no longer be flesh and blood." Something caught the creature's attention and it looked up. Sparks of light were floating down in golden globes. Like snowflakes that glowed of the embers in a dying fire. They were warm as they broke on Spirit's fur.

"The sky..." Auraria whimpered, "the sky is falling."

Fyora sank to her knees. "Even our greatest powers could not stop this evil from coming."

Spirit whipped around. "You're wrong about the darkness Fyora! It's not evil, it never was! Darkness is just a part of the balance that keeps this world going! Earth to air, fire to water, good to evil, light to darkness!"

Fyora looked at Spirit in disgust. "You ArizonaSpirit, of all our allys, you are to the one to take the darkness' side?" She spat bitterly, "you are a traitor to your kind." Spirit was confused by the faerie's retort, what did she mean?

"Do you have something to say, little sprite?" Spirit turned, the dark creature was gazing intently at her. Now only a being of dark fire roughly in the shape of a lupe with white hot eyes. Bubbling silver at its feet told Spirit that the chains had melted off it.

"I – I do have something to say to you." Spirit said quietly. She walked through the barriers around the circles and to the ring of light where Auraria stood. She took a deep breath and recited a verse of a song that she had known ever since she was a pup. It had been the first song she'd ever played on a flute.

_"It was always known the chains would fail,_

_And the darkness release its wrath._

_Though the vassal fought to no avail,_

_It is light that stands alone in its path."_

Auraria knew the song and took up the next verse.

_"For the betrayer of its kin,_

_The one who made the stone._

_Light, for its redemption,_

_Consents to fight alone."_

The scar on the faerie's left hand began to glow with steady golden light. Spirit raised her voice, tears running down her cheeks and spoke the last verse.

_"The darkness to falter at a friend's final call,_

_When all hope seems lost._

_The shadows will rise to rejuvenate all,_

_To save the world at any cost."_

The darkness creature paused, then stepped from the ring of darkness. "It can't do that!" Fuhnah cried, "it broke the circle!"

"Yes but Spirit shouldn't have been able to do it either." Lyana murmured. "There are powers at work here that are greater than we ever imagined."

The creature stepped into the ring of light and laid his cheek against Spirit's. In her ear it murmured.

_"To you I give one last song,_

_I choose the light to sing it._

_Your heart was pure all along,_

_new life you ask, darkness will bring it."_

It drew away and looked Spirit strait in the eyes. Spirit swallowed. "S – Scinan?"

It smiled. "Yes I'm here." The dark fires changed color in an instant, becoming a crystal blue color, as did the creature's eyes. Scinan raised his flaming paws and out of the fire materialized a blue crystal flute. "Will you play for me Spirit, one last time?"

Spirit took the flute and asked coyly. "What would you like me to play Sci?"

He smiled again. "Play the end of the darkness Spirit, play the grief of light."

Spirit blinked and drew in a breath of horror. "No Sci! I can't!" She clutched the flute to her chest, refusing to do what he asked of her.

"Spirit, if it means my life for all of Neopia? For you?" He looked at her, with his flame filled eyes. "I would gladly sacrifice that." His ears twitched, "but I promise Spirit, that this isn't the end. I will come back." He turned his back and walked again into the ring of darkness. Fyora, Fuhnah, Nereid, Lyana, and Psellia stared in opened mouthed shock.

Auraria moved up behind Spirit and put her hands on the Lupe's shoulders. "It's all right Spirit, I'll stand by you." Shaking Spirit pressed the flute to her lips and slowly, tremulously, began to play. At first it seemed like nothing was happening, but then Scinan's body began to fray. The darkness that made up his being unraveling at an alarming pace. His body rose into the air. It no longer had any discernible shape merely a great cloud of darkness lined with crystal flames. Spirit lowered the flute, the song was done she needn't do anymore.

Auraria pressed something against Spirit's back and she turned to see that the faerie was holding out the wisdom stone that she had dropped before. Spirit took at and raised herself onto her hind legs. "Scinan!" She screamed, she knew, she felt, that she had his attention. Spirit raised the stone high and squeezed it. The shining words projected themselves onto the cloud of darkness, _'wherever you go, go with all your heart.'_ Scinan smiled, he heard another voice, Hryre voice speaking to him. _"There's a great heart in there, just waiting to shine out."_

Scinan smiled and murmured. "I'll shine Hry, I'll go with all my heart." the sparks of light falling from the sky whirled in a maelstrom around him and a phenomenal amount of dark power exploded outward. It was the storm, the storm that Scinan had predicted that first night.

Spirit shut her eyes and the faeries braced themselves against the wind. A mix of rain, snow, and hail stones struck them. Cold and heat burned and froze them. Blasts of light shot out from the four faerie's pillars. Red from Fuhnah, light powder blue from Psellia, green from Lyana, and navy from Nereid. The columns of light pulsed with their faeries' respective powers. Then everything went pitch black and there was nothing.

Spirit opened her eyes to the smell of sea salt and the sun's warm rays falling on her back. The water was just level with the top of the pillars and was dampening the bottom of her paws. The faeries around her were completely back to normal, with their wings and normal clothes. There was nothing at all to disturb the world. Not a breath of wind, nor flake of snow, nor drop of rain stired. All was calm and peaceful, then the faeries and Lupe heard a voice echo away from them across the water.

_"Now bound in eternal rest,_

_Will the embodiment of darkness sleep._

_For all the ones it left behind,_

_Does the heart of darkness weep."_


	8. Elements' Mourning

**Elements' Mourning**

Spirit trembled, then broke out into wracking sobs. Auraria knelt and put comforting arms around the her. Fyora watched the the broken hearted Lupe for a moment then she turned and gazed out across the great expanse of water.

"Here me, oh dark souled one," she murmured, placing a hand over her heart. "I judged you wrongly from the first. I have acted on what I believed would do the world good. Instead, I have done evil. Cast an innocent Neopet into a fate he should not have had to bear." The Faerie Queen sank to her knees. "ScinanDarkShine, forgive me." Tears started in the Queen's eyes and ran in silver streams down her creamy, flawless, cheeks.

Fuhnah came forward, her own eyes bright with tears. And raised her hands, in a cup shape in front of her. "Fire acknowledges you, dark mage, and fire weeps for you."

"So does earth," Lyana said holding out her own hands.

"And air," added Psellia, wiping her eyes.

"And water," Nereid called through tears.

Auraria looked at the sky, she unwound one of her arms from Spirit and raised it. "I, as light, acknowledge you and I weep for you. ScinanDarkShine," she lowered her hand, "darkness weeps for you too." She scrunched her eyes shut, pursing her lips, trying with all her might to prevent the sobs from escaping her.

Spirit pressed her face into the faerie's chest, crying silently now. Tears coming in increasing waves of salty bitterness. Auraria looked down at the Lupe, she laid a hand on Spirit's head. "Come," she murmured. "Let us take you home." The faerie stood with Spirit in her arms. Spreaing her newly given wings, she rose into the air. The other faeries followed in silence as they flew back toward Mystery Island.

Hryre, her pets, Aisa, and her family, were gathered outside the house by the time they landed. Auraria walked forward and let Spirit down. "Spirit! What? - " a flabbergasted Aisa stared at her Lupe's faerie guard. "Wh – what the blazes is going on?"

"Wh – where?" Hryre, looked slightly lost, "where's Scinan?"

The faeries looked away, unable to meet the owner's eyes and Spirit broke out in a fresh wave of tears. Fyora came forward, "ruinstar, that explanation lies with me. It is a long and sad tale, and the fault for his absence is mine." She paused for a moment, looking at her lavender slippered feet. "He must have been a wonderful friend to you."

Hryre went pale. "Must have been?" She shook slightly, the past tense Fyora had used hitting her like a physical blow. Aisa put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Y – you mean," Maestitia asked in horror, "Sci's gone?"

"I'm afraid so," Fyora looked up with tears in her eyes. "I know I sound so heartless and uncaring. Ruinstar I am so sorry, it's all my fault, all mine. I didn't mean for it to happen, I swear it's not what I thought would happen!" The regal faerie completely broke down, choking and sobbing out the entire story.

Hryre felt faint, she sat down abruptly. Somehow, it all seemed unreal. He had been fine just a few hours ago, Scinan had been there, healthy and laughing. But now Fyora spoke of the powers of darkness, of the true elementals, the ones who held the pure elements within their bodies. The Faerie Queen spoke of a Neopia that was between existence and destruction. She spoke of how the confined power within Scinan had been what destroyed it and that that same power was what had mended everything.

Her pets came to her, Ealdor sat down next to his owner and wrapped his large red wings around her. Leoht and Maestitia hugged Hryre too. Aisa knelt, "Hry, I'm so sorry about this."

Hryre looked up, "why should you be? It's not your fault, I guess... this is the way it was meant to be. Even though it hurts so much, I should be happy for Sci, because he wanted me to be happy."

Spirit couldn't take anymore, she broke away and ran. Auraria watched for a moment then rose into the air to follow. The yellow lupe sat underneath a high berm of sand that had been carved out years and years of crashing waves. Spirit's ears twitched at the sound of light footsteps. Auraria's feet came into her line of vision and the light faerie sat down next to the Lupe. Seeming completely uncaring about getting wet, grimy, sand on her gold satin gown.

"I never thought a sunset could look so beautiful." The faerie murmured. The dying rays of the sun casting fiery shades on her long blond hair and reflecting in her eyes. "It's so easy to take such things for granted. Then, before you know what happened, it's gone. I don't think I'll ever take such subtle beauties of this world for granted again."

"A single blade of grass, a gentle breeze, a drop of rain, or cloud in the sky." Spirit whispered, "no one can ever know what a beautiful gift our world is."

"But we know don't we?" Auraria said, smiling, "and we'll protect it."

"Yes," Spirit agreed, "we will protect it. For Sci, I'll protect it."

Auraria was silent for a moment, then she opened her mouth and sang softly.

_"Air, water, earth, and fire,_

_Grieve for one cursed twice._

_The one who rose when time was dire,_

_And for life paid the greatest price."_

Tears leaked from Spirit's eyes. "I did it Auraria, it was my song magic. It's my fault Sci's gone." She bowed her head, tears dripping onto the sand. "I did it, it's my fault."

Auraria wrapped her arms around the Lupe, trying to comfort her. "Oh Spirit no, it's not your fault. Scinan knew what he was doing. He knew that either way a life had to be lost. He didn't want to lose you. He protected you to the very end." She raised her head to look out at the ocean. "I wonder what will happen, now that the darkness is gone."

Spirit tore free of the faerie's arms. "No!" She shrieked, "he's not gone!

"Spirit, ScinanDarkShine is dead. You have to accept that."

"No! I won't accept it, I can't!" She dropped her head, voice dying to a grief filled whimper. "I can't accept it after we decided to always keep moving onward. I can't accept that he went onward to a place that I couldn't follow, that I was too scared to follow."

"I'm sorry Spirit," Auraria murmured, "but not even the greatest powers in this world would let you follow him this time. This time he has to go onward alone." Auraria paused, then drew in a deep breath. "If there is anyone you must fault for this Spirit, fault me."

"You?" Spirit asked, confused.

Auraria raised her left had and displayed the scar that ran diagonally across her palm. "You remember the verses don't you Spirit? 'A stone made by the blood of light, a betrayer of its kin.' The yellow gem embedded in the collar of Scinan's chains was the core of the binding spell that restrained him. That stone... was created by me."

"You?" Spirit said again, now confused and horrified.

Auraria lowered her hand. "I was not always a light faerie. To tell you the truth Spirit, I was born Jcanith MourningStar of the Dark Faerie Citadel. I am, was, the youngest daughter of Kyealla, known to Neopia as the Darkest Faerie." Spirit's mouth fell open in complete shock. "My mother's wishes were that I take over her rule of the Citadel and Jenumarra, the regent, was not very happy about that. She did not wish to give up her power as ruler, so she banished my sister and turned me into a gray faerie."

Auraria inspected her hands. "I stayed a gray faerie for a very long time. That's when Fyora and the Faerie Council found me. They promised they would give me a new name and a place in the Faerie Council if I swore to do this one task. I agreed, but when I discovered what the task was, I faltered. Even if I had lost all my powers I was still Jcanith MourningStar, in my heart I was still a dark faerie. What Fyora was asking me to do went against my code of honor as a dark faerie. But like I said, I had been a gray faerie for a long time, the Citadel had abandoned me. In the end I gave in and used my blood to bind Scinan's chains. That day I became a light faerie, I became Auraria BrightStar, but even now, even after our ordeal, I still bear the heart and mind of Jcanith MourningStar. I am still a traitor to my fellow dark faeries. Even though I look like a light faerie, I am still nothing more than a gray faerie who had once been a dark one."

"You – you're right," Spirit murmured, "you feel like darkness within a skin of light."

Auraria looked sharply at Spirit. "How would you know that?"

"Ah Aura, I'm surprised at you, I thought you would have figured it out by now." Said a voice behind them. Auraria and Spirit whirled around, it was him, he stood there, grinning like nothing had happened. "I had more faith in you Aura." ScinanDarkShine laughed, a sound that Spirit had thought she would never hear again.


	9. Light and Darkness United

**Light and Darkness United**

He didn't look like Scinan, his fur was burned dark as shadow. His eyes had changed too, gone from gold to a deep crystal blue, like the fire he wielded. Behind him there were no foot prints, as though he had been standing there all along or had just materialized there and no shadow of him was cast upon the sand. He was a shadow.

Spirit let out a little squeak of shock. "S – Sci? Is that really you?"

He grinned again, white fangs flashing against his dark hide. "Of course it's me. Don't look at me like that Auraria."

The faerie jumped at being addressed. "H – how?" She stammered, "I – I thought."

"You thought right," Scinan said, coming forward to sit next to Spirit, his gaze drawn out across the water. "The spell song Spirit played did its job perfectly. It unraveled my life force and power and used it to rebuild the world with darkness, gave it new life with my own." He trailed off and looked at Spirit, "but it seems that the heart of light was not willing to let me go." He raised an eyebrow at Spirit.

She blinked. "Heart of light?"

He nodded. "Yup, like me, you have a purely elemental being. Your soul is made entirely from light. But unlike me you didn't have your power restrained at birth so it didn't get bigger and have no place to go, that's what happened to me. My power wasn't able to grow freely, so it threw all its strength against my binding chains until it was able to break free, but it broke free with all the power it was using to break the chains. Like a dam bursting before a swelled river. I tried to stop it from happening but by the time I realized what was going on, I couldn't stop Neopia from being affected. You however Spirit, were not chained and your power was able to grow freely and take any form you wished it to be. It was your power that saved my life, because you didn't want me to go."

Spirit flushed. "No, I didn't want you to go Sci, not after everything we'd been through."

Scinan reached out and pulled the yellow Lupe to him in a firm, but gentle, embrace. "Thank you ArizonaSpirit," he murmured, "thank you for calling for me to come back and for giving me a reason to choose to."

"Sci," Spirit whispered, tears formed in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks to soak the dark fur of Scinan's shoulder. He was crying too, steady tears as crystal colored as his eyes. A strong wind from came from nowhere and blew about them in a small whirlwind. Auraria watched in amazement as glowing white symbols and marks etched themselves in Scinan's fur, on his back and across his face.

Spirit's fur shone with and unnatural gleam, it grew steadily lighter and lighter until it was a beautiful gleaming white. The same marks on Scinan, etched themselves in black, purple edged light across Spirit's body.

Finally the two Lupes broke their embrace, the light, the wind, the glowing marks faded. But Spirit's fur remained a crisp, snowy white. She looked at herself, unsure of what just happened. She looked up at Scinan, "is this what happens when an Elemental accepts their power?"

Scinan shrugged. "Maybe, I actually have no idea."

Spirit grinned. "And here you were acting all knowledgeable and wise. You fooled me for a second there Sci, making me think you had all the answers."

"No one can have all the answers." Scinan replied, "come on let's go mend my owner's broken heart." Spirit nodded and stood, they walked shoulder to shoulder back to the house with Auraria trailing after them.

Hryre was still kneeling on the ground with her face in her hands. The faeries stood in a half-circle around her and Aisa and the other pets. The only difference was that Jhudora has joined them. The dark faerie noticed first that they were coming, she turned her head and her violet eyes widened in shock. She nudged Fyora in the ribs and the Queen turned to look at what Jhudora was gawking at, her mouth opened slightly in astonishment. The other faeries turned and looked and they too found themselves looking at a ghost.

Scinan came forward and shoved his nose under Hryre's hands. She looked up and made a little squeak of surprise that sounded more like a hiccup. "Sci?"

He grinned. "Who else?" Hryre cupped the Lupe's face in her hands, unsure whether to believe it was really him. Yes he was shadow painted, yes his eyes were different, but it was his voice. But the faeries had said Scinan was dead, how could this be him? "You were right Hry," Scinan whispered, "shine was the perfect name for me." Tears ran down Hryre's cheeks and she threw her arms around her Lupe. It really was him.

"I would say 'impossible'," Fyora murmured, "but that Lupe has proved a lot of impossible thing to be possible."

Auraria came up and stood next to her. "Nothing is impossible Fyora as long as we have mind enough to look at things in different lights." Jhudora looked at Auraria, she was wearing a black obsidian ring that encircled her forehead. At the front was and amithyst cut in the shape of an upside down triangle. Auraria caught Jhudora's glance and she held the dark faerie's gaze. Jhudora broke it first to look back at Scinan.

"Auraria," Fyora murmured, "I have a job for you, listen." Auraria did and agreed to the task Fyora had proposed.

Fyora stepped forward and Hryre looked up. "Ruinstar, I believe this incident ties you and your family to the Faerie Council. So I shall be appointing a faerie guardian to your family. The one who has volunteered for this duty is Auraria BrightStar. I also think that you should know," Fyora raised her eyebrow at the shadow Lupe, "I am opening a seat for darkness on the Faerie Council in your honor."

Scinan rose and bowed to the Faerie Queen. "I'm honored Fyora, who did you have in mind of filling the post?"

"Oh, I have several ideas." Fyora replied, looking more mischievous than any regal personage should, but she didn't care. "I wish you good luck and fare well ScinanDarkShine." She rose into the air followed by her Council. Now none but Auraria and Jhudora remained.

"ScinanDarkShine," Jhudora called, "may I speak with you?" The Lupe nodded and came over to Jhudora.

"What can I help you with Lady Jhudora?" He asked. To the Lupe's astonishment, and that of everyone else. Jhudora lowered herself to her knees with a hand over her heart and bowed low.

"You have already helped me and all of our dark kind." She murmured. "Both you and ArizonaSpirit. We are indebted to the two of you in more ways than you can ever imagine. You have shown Fyora and her stuck up Council that darkness is not an evil power. Darkness has always been known as a force of evil, maybe because it is the most terrifying of elements. But faeries like myself have always been scorned and hated because we chose to wield darkness. Others seem to see it as a kind of betrayal to all that is good and true. If a dark faerie tried to do good, others would suspect an evil plot. Tell me ScinanDarkShine, have you ever heard of a dark faerie doing anything good?"

Scinan shook his head. "Never."

Jhudora stood. "We have done some good things, they are always out of knowledge except to the ones we help. Those are too few who know that we are not all evil."

"Of course you're not," Spirit said, moving to Scinan's side. "Nothing is good or evil by itself. It, or its wielder, must make that choice. And even then, nothing can be purely good or evil, it's impossible. Nothing is perfect, but if we try really hard, we can make it pretty darn close."

Jhudora smiled at the white Lupe. "You are wise for your young years and shall make a magnificent Light Elemental. You two have broken down the barrier that blocked the Councils' eyes from the truth. You have made the way for change, it won't happen over night. But some day darkness will see its redemption." The dark faerie reached up and unclasped her necklace. "Until then don't give up fighting for us." She reached out and clasped the necklace around Scinan's neck, making it a dark faerie collar.

Scinan grinned. "Who do you take me for? I just went through death and back to bring this about, do you think I'm going to stop now?"

Jhudora stood. "Please don't, it means everything to us." She spread her Korbat like wings and rose into the air, flying out of sight.

"Change," Scinan murmured, "does she really think I can do it? Even after I made the mistake of not realizing my power in time?"

"You have already set change in motion." Auraria reminded him, "for the first time since its founding, the Faerie Council has opened a place for darkness to have its say. That is the unheard of and the unthinkable."

Spirit leaned against Scinan. "ScinanDarkShine," she said knowingly, "one mistake doesn't ruin your chance to change the world."

Scinan smiled. There was a stretch of awkward silence then Hryre said. "You know? I'm really hungry, how about you guys all come inside and we have something to eat?"

Aisa laughed. "Only if you let me do the cooking. No offense Hry, you're really bad at it."

Hryre grinned. "Deal."

Spirit took Scinan's paw and held it tightly as they walked into Hryre's home. Auraria smiled as she followed the chattering pets and humans. Darkness and light would be forever united in the minds of these two Lupes. That change alone was enough for now.


End file.
